BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A Democrat running for statewide office has issued a scathing critique of party member and potential gubernatorial and vice presidential candidate Josh Shapiro, sparking a spat with Pennsylvania’s party chairman, a dispute Shapiro continues in The Washington Post.
Treasury Secretary nominee Erin McClelland accused Shapiro of sexism and covering up sexual harassment, and appeared to suggest that Shapiro wouldn’t be content to play second fiddle. Tuesday night tweet.
“We want to select a running mate who is comfortable enough to be No. 2 behind a woman, who is comfortable being vice president, who will not undermine the president to gain an electoral advantage, and who will not cover up sexual harassment scandals,” McClelland, who is running against incumbent Republican Treasury Secretary Stacey Garrity, wrote.
“We want someone who can speak to rural voters. That’s @RoyCooperNC,” McClelland’s post continued. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper is also one of the people being talked about as a running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris, who is considered the Democratic presidential nominee.
While McClelland did not directly name Shapiro in his tweet, he told The Washington Post he was concerned about the governor’s presidential ambitions if he were added to the running.
“If I [Harris’] “In a situation like this, I would think very deeply about the difficulties some women experience in being in top-level positions and having to settle for second or third or subservient to men around them,” she said.
McClelland did not provide details about the allegations that Shapiro “covered up sexual harassment.” The Philadelphia Inquirer She was “probably referring to the sexual harassment scandal that occurred in Mr. Shapiro’s office last year.”
The scandal involved a woman who accused her boss, Governor Shapiro’s legislative liaison, Mike Vereb, of sexual harassment. The governor’s office quietly A settlement of $295,000 was reached. with her.
Vereb, who was a close friend of Shapiro for decades, did not resign from his Cabinet-level position until months after the whistleblower complaint was filed, The Inquirer reported.
McClelland’s tweets put her at odds with other Pennsylvania Democrats who had supported Shapiro as a running mate, and angered the state’s Democratic Party chairman, Sharif Street.
“Look, everyone is entitled to their opinion.” Street says at an event Wednesday promoting Harris.
“But to be clear, I am upset by this post,” he continued. “I am personally upset and will be speaking to the financial candidate separately.”
McClelland told The Washington Post that he hasn’t spoken to Street since criticizing Shapiro, but that he believes their relationship is “good.”
“I’m astounded that someone would be upset about a woman with strong opinions,” she declared.
McClelland said he would support the Democratic nominee regardless of who Harris chooses, but he had to praise Cooper given the North Carolina governor’s track record and his ability to attract younger voters, especially compared to Shapiro.
Cooper “seems very comfortable with his body and doesn’t seem to have any strong ambitions to become president,” McClelland said.
“I don’t think he’s going to undermine Ms. Harris,” she added. “He’s great on public education, and that’s an issue that’s important to me.”
But McClelland isn’t the only one on the left.
She joined 28 anti-school choice groups in opposing Shapiro’s candidacy. Letter to Harris She urged her to choose one of the three other Democratic governors as her running mate, and Cooper was on that list.
The governor, who served as the Keystone State’s attorney general from 2017 to 2023, handily won election in 2022 over far-right Republican candidate Doug Mastriano.
Shapiro was praised for his leadership in repairing a collapsed Interstate 95 bridge in Philadelphia last year, but has been criticized by both parties for his work on school choice, albeit for very different reasons.
Republicans are disappointed that President Trump last summer caved in on a state Senate school choice bill that he had previously supported.
Democrats have attacked him for being completely opposed to school choice.
